Dubai - on the way
Two days in Dubai has been a whirlwind of desert and amazing
hotel bling.
Rachael was a great hostess, settling me into her apartment, and
setting me up with a phone and directions for getting around. Her
apartment is very commodious, but she is not too keen on the road that
leads to it which is lined with the "labour camp" apartments for some of
the thousands of immigrant workers who man the construction sites.
There are also several finished but unoccupied buildings in her complex,
which is repeated all over Dubai - it is to be hoped that the rather
bizarre vision of this huge city in the middle of nowhere has not hit a
rather tricky speed-bump.
Some more details on that desert trip: I was collected from the
Mall of the Emirates after peering through the glass at the surreal ski
slope which flies down from above the mall. Emirati ladies in full black
cloaks clopped around in snow boots supervising their children on
toboggans, while snow-suit-clad skiers who moments before had been in
the 100 degree heat cruised down the slopes - the height of
Disney-in-the-desert indeed. Waiting in the 5-star hotel lobby at the
mall was also fascinating as the Emirati shoppers returned - Dad in
Crocs, shorts and T-shirt, little girl in frilly dress, and Mum covered
from head to toe in concealing black.
My desert chariot was a large Chevy Tahoe 8-seater 4WD, which was
one of 40 in our cavalcade - a quiet day, apparently as up to 100 is
quite common. I started being the bossy school teacher, requesting that
our driver might keep his hands on the wheel, instead of gesticulating
madly in "Look Mum - no hands" fashion as he roared along the freeway on
the way out to the desert, but that only made him drive more crazily,
so I gave up. We gathered on the edge of the desert, while the drivers
let out over half the tyre pressure in preparation for the sand driving.
To entertain us, there were some camels on Prozac who sat quietly and
tamely for us to pat. Overheard watching this (imagine a broad Strine
accent for this...) "In Orstrahlia if yer said "Come out in the desert
and look at some camels, they'd laught at ya - so whadda we do? We come
to Dubai and go out in the desert and look at some bloody camels!!!"
But then we set off on the most hair-raising thing I've done since
the white-water rafting trip on the Kaituna - and even sarier than
that.... Our driver was the most push-it-to-the-limit one on the whole
tour, I'm sure. We were second in the "train", and if the lead driver
did a zig-zag, we had to do an even ziggier-zaggier one, and if he went
over the top of a dune with a little bit of air, we had to have twice as
much air. Despite my qualms, I think he actually was a pretty skilled
driver, as others got stuck or had to be pulled of the top of ridges,
but we came throug unscathed. But just imagine leaping up over the top
of a dune, then sliding sideways down the other side, leaning over at
what seemed like a 45deg angle, then roaring up the other side of the
next one - and this went on, with some stops in between, for about an
hour and a half!!! Perhaps like Steve at Pamplona, if I'd known how
scary it would be, I wold have said No, but having done it, I'm actually
glad I did, if that is not too contradictory.
After this, and a fairly non-event desert sunset stop, we arrived
at ur camp in the desert, which was very nicely set up with carpets
spread over the sand, and even lovely cold beers. Some more of those
camels-on-Prozac were provided for riding around in circles, then a
lavish Arabic dinner was provided. The belly dancer afterwards was very
wiggly and frenetic, but a bit too much Hi-de-Hi, with the tedious
obligatory dragging up of unco-ordinated audience members to look silly
trying to be belly dancers too, but I daresay it is kind of expected.
The nicest part was the turning off of all the lights to let us
star-gaze in the desert night - I could just have been left out there
doing that all night.
Home at 11.30 had arather exhausted me collapsing into bed (after my 5.30am arrival from NZ that morning...).
The next day was on the hop-on-hop-off bus, and I saw the amazing
proliferation of luxury resort hotels, and up-market shopping centres
that seems to be the focus of Dubai, and there are also some
"free-trade" zones where businesses can set up with no taxes, so once
again, the vision of Dubai may or may not turn out to be what the
visionary Sheikh intended.
........ then onto a
plane at dawn for Coventry...
Rainy England Report
The temperature change has been rather dramatic from Dubai to Coventry
- I arrived to a lovely rainy English summer day after the delights of
Dubai. The previous rather rushed e-mail was dashed off between zooming
around at top speed cramming as much as possible into my two days in
Dubai.
My Internet cafe time is running out, so a quick update on the UK
bit. I am in a pleasant guest-house and have done a day trip to Warwick
Castle today, and am off to Stratford tomorrow. Monday, I will do Coventry
properly, but it seems a very pleasant town, with its beautiful
cathedral. Then there will be the real purpose of the trip, the
conference, for the next three days.
Love to all from the rainy (actually it is sunny now) Midlands....
English Heatwave
The Brits are all in a tizzy because we are getting some HOT
WEATHER!!!. The BBC News has had special segments on how to keep cool
and which medical service to phone if it all gets too much!!! Experts
are advising on drinking lots of fluids, and sprinkling the bed sheets
with water to keep cool at night - one needs a little lie down to
contemplate it all - it's amazing when summer actually brings some
summer weather ....
Warwick Castle on Saturday was an excellent day out with lots of
grand battlements and weighty suits of armour, and the usual "Biggest
ever Trebuchet show at 11.30" followed by the "Birds of Prey Show" at
12.30. They do this sort of thing very well, plus the Castle is now
owned by the Madame Tussaud's company, so one is not quite sure which of
the period dress characters scattered around the castle is real or not.
Amazing to think one family used to own this. Warwick is a pretty town,
but I noted quite few shops for rent, so the economic situation is
being felt everywhere.
Stratford-upon-Avon was as to be expected, full of happy-snappy
tourists (including me) looking at all the places where Shakespeare
"might" or "could possibly" or "perhaps" did things, because of course,
very little is actually known of his life, but they have to make a
tourist experience of it. I am very glad I had read Bill Bryson's
biography beforehand, as it identified how little we know, and how much
is myth. Never mind, it was worth seeing, there was plenty of pretty
English countryside to see from the train, and I got a bargain pair of
Birkenstock's "On Sale", so that made the day worthwhile anyway.
I have just done the modern Coventry
Cathedral which is very dramatic, but I rather preferred the beautiful
half-bombed-out remains of the old cathedral next door, with the Blitz
fortunately leaving the fabulous spire untouched. Next stop is the Coventry
Transport Museum, then it is home to swot up on my presentation for
tomorrow, and to meet my panel for the Round-Table discussion who are
arriving this evening - quite a change of mental gears.
Must go and sprinkle water over myself, and prepare for heat exhaustion .....
Next day......
Off for another kebab
The conference is nearly over, and I have mental indigestion, and
there is nothing of that you want ot hear about!!!!!. Last night we had a
fabulous trip to Stratford-on-Avon to a performance of As You Like It
which was just fantastic.
I leave at dawn tomorrow for Istanbul, so should have something interesting to report from there.......
Turkish Delight
Sorry - I'm sure everyone does that deadline...
(- excuse the battle wıth the Turkısh keyboard!!!! made worse by
beıng on my second-best paır of glasses after dopıly leavıng them ın the
bus at Luton Aırport as I staggered off half-asleep! /&%+^''!!!??)
My most pleasant ıntro to Turkey was standıng ın lıne wıth the Brıts and Aussıes and others to pay for my vısa ınto Turkey,
to be greeted wıth a huge grın and 'Oh, New Zealand!!! No vısa, no
pay!!! So ıt seems we have a specıal relatıonshıp beyond the Gallıpolı
days.
I,m collapsed ın a lıttle heap at a Turkısh ınternet cafe after two days of frenetıc sıghtseeıng around Istanbul,
preparıng for the pılgrımage trıp to Gallopolı early tomorrow mornıng.
There ıs defınıtely that feelıng of half Europe/ half Asıa about the
cıty of 13 mıllıon people, most of whom seem to be on the road at any
gıven tıme, equıpped wıth a horn that has magıcal powers to shıft
oncomıng traffıc out of your way.
Yesterday I dıd battle at the Grand Bazaar, beıng offered such
delıghts as Chanel No 5 at $10 a very genıune bottle and my choıce of
several mıllıon pashmınas, blue evıl-eye ornaments or heaps of actually
very genuıne 24carat gold whıch the Turks take very serıously. They even
tested the pearls for me wıth a flame, but I resısted the temptaton to
buy. The Spıce Market really dıd have heaps of amazıng lokıng spıces,
plus a much more ınterestıng range of Turkısh Delıghts than I have ever
seen exported. My favourıte ıs a semı-sweet one wıth chopped pıstachıos
ın ıt, rolled ın coconut.
Dınner was wıth the fırst meetıng wıth my tour group over on the
Asıan sıde of the harbour ın an upmarket area called Taksım whıch ıs
quıte glıtzy, and rather a contrast to the tradıtıonal Sultanahmet area
ın the centre of the cıty. The group ıs a mıx of ages wıth a
preponderance of Kıwıs and Aussıes and a couple of others. We are 25 at
the moment, but the group wıll splıt ın two once we reach Kusadası, wıth
my group goıng off to the Greek Islands, whle the other half contınues
around Turkey.
Thıs mornıng we began the tour ın earnest, wıth 3 hours at the
beautıful Topkapı palace admırıng the wonderful lıfe ıf the sultans of
bygone days, and the slıghtly less wonderfl lıfe of the ladıes of the
harem, and the sultan,s brothers whom he often kept caged ın the harem
so they would not murder hım to usurp the throne - lots of brotherly
love goıng on, apparently. THE aya SOFIA WAS nest whıch has an
ınterestıng splıt personalıty as a prevıous Chrıstıan cathedral
converted to a mosque when the Ottomans took power. Ataturk decreed that
ıt was to be returned to ıts dual personalıty and ıs now a museum sıte
ın whıch the plastered-over Chrıstıan ıcon mosaıcs have been partıally
re-exposed so that ıt ıs now half Islamıc decoratıons, and half
Chrıstıan art such as the ubıquıtous Vırgın May and Baby Jesus ın golden
mosaıc - quıte beautıful. It was apparently the fourth largest
Chrıstıan church after St Peter,s, the Duomo and St Paul,s. Next was the
Blue Mosque on the other sıde of the square, buılt as a statement of Istanbul's
place ın Islam - covered heads etc was the rule - and ıt ıs magnıfıcent
also. The fınal sıte of the day was the amazıng underground Basılıca
Cısterns buılt ın Roman tımes to supply water to the cıty from the
aqueducts they buılt across the 17 mıles from the closest water supply.
The cısterns were lost for centurıes untıl somone ınvestıgated how
locals could dıg holes and drop down buckets to collect water whıch
often contaıned fısh!!!
After all of thıs heads were spınnıng a bıt, so İ plan a quıet
evenıng before brıngıng out the tıssue pack for the Gallıpolı trıp
tomorrow - ıt was most fortuıtous that I had just dıscovered that Uncle
Bert was there before goıng on to the Western Front, so he ıs one of the
lucky ones that survıved. We then travel down the coast to Troy,
Pergamum and Ephesus, then off to the Greek Islands so the traveloue
wıll contınue from there.....
Greek Islands
Rather a lack of internet cafes to keep the up-dates going, I'm sorry...
Well I am the only member of the tour group up and around this morning,
having just been to the last 1.5 hours of a 3-hour Greek Orthodox Sunday
service - people can wander in and out, and mainly come for the last
hour!!!!
We are on Ios which is a "party isalnd with dozens of clubs and bars that come to life after midnight - hence the sleeping tour party. Surprisingly I did not participate in last night's activities at the "Slammer Bar" whcih entail knocking back Tequila Slammers whilst wearing a hemet which then gets "slammed" with a large metal object!!! I took off to bed before such delights.....
We had a fabulous time on Santorini with the camera being given a maximum workout on the beautiful white houses falling down the hillsides to the sea - well not quite falling, but almost appearing to be so. The poor donkeys were also much photographed. We are off to Mykonos today, but I may do a repeat of K&D's Acopolis experience, and miss Delos, as it seems to be closed on Mondays!!&^%$#@!!!!
Temperatures are in teh hgh 30s so much rushing from shade to shade each day.
Internet cafe charges about to run out again - so love to all......
We are on Ios which is a "party isalnd with dozens of clubs and bars that come to life after midnight - hence the sleeping tour party. Surprisingly I did not participate in last night's activities at the "Slammer Bar" whcih entail knocking back Tequila Slammers whilst wearing a hemet which then gets "slammed" with a large metal object!!! I took off to bed before such delights.....
We had a fabulous time on Santorini with the camera being given a maximum workout on the beautiful white houses falling down the hillsides to the sea - well not quite falling, but almost appearing to be so. The poor donkeys were also much photographed. We are off to Mykonos today, but I may do a repeat of K&D's Acopolis experience, and miss Delos, as it seems to be closed on Mondays!!&^%$#@!!!!
Temperatures are in teh hgh 30s so much rushing from shade to shade each day.
Internet cafe charges about to run out again - so love to all......
Athens, Athens
Arriving on the Acropolis is one of those "Haven't I been here
before???" moments like first seeing the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of
Liberty or St Peter's Square - we have seen so many photos that it seems
like they are old friends. After the hedonism of the Greek Islands I am about to immerse myself in some serious antiquities for the next few days.
Next day .....
The head is spinning with an overdose of Athenian antiquity -
beautifully enhanced last night by a Mendelssohn performance of the
Athenian State Orchestra in the Odeon of Herodes Atticus on the
Acropolis - built to seat 6,000-7,000 so it wasn't quite full, in a
beautiful warm Athenian evening. Dinner was taken in a lovely restaurant
looking up to the Acropolis.Today was the Museum of the Acropolis, and
tomorrow is the National Archaeological Museum before leaping on the
11.00pm plane home - see you all soon ....... Dinner tonight will be in e
street cafes of Monistiraki which don't really get going until about
11.00pm so I may be a bit hungry by then.
